“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV)
This weekend, as we gathered at the HUDCAP Rock West Women’s Convention, our speaker offered a phrase that has stayed with me: “The Other Side Of Grace.” It made me pause. Grace is a word we use often in church spaces. We speak of it as God’s mercy, God’s covering, God’s undeserved favor. We sing about amazing grace and thank God for saving grace.
But the thought that settled in my spirit was this: Grace is not only what forgives us. Grace is also what moves us forward. Sometimes there is something standing between us and the other side of grace. Fear. Doubt. Comparison. Old wounds. The quiet voice that whispers, “Who do you think you are?”
Yet the God who calls Himself I AM has never been confused about who we are. Long before we discovered our purpose, He already knew it.
When God called Jeremiah, the prophet hesitated. He looked at his youth. He looked at his limitations. He looked at what he believed he lacked. But God answered him with words that reach across centuries: “Before I formed thee… I knew thee.”
Imagine that. Before Jeremiah found his voice, God had already written his assignment. Before Jeremiah understood his purpose, God had already placed grace over his life. Jeremiah’s struggle was not whether God knew his purpose. The struggle was crossing over to the other side of grace, the side where obedience lives.
As I sat in that convention space surrounded by women seeking clarity, I realized something quietly powerful. Many of us already sense the direction God is calling us toward. But something sits between where we are and where God is leading. Sometimes it looks like exhaustion from carrying too much. Sometimes it looks like comparison, measuring our calling against someone else’s platform. Sometimes it looks like the fear that if we step forward, we may not get it right.
Yet the voice of I AM still speaks over our hesitation. I knew you. Before the responsibilities.
Before the doubts. Before the moments you questioned your worth. God already knew the purpose He planted inside of you. Grace is not just the safety net beneath us. Grace is the bridge that carries us forward.... Crossing Us to the Other Side
The other side of grace is not a place of perfection. It is a place of trust. It is where we stop negotiating with our fears and begin walking with God’s voice. It is where obedience becomes louder than insecurity. And when we cross that bridge, we discover something beautiful: The God who knew us before we knew ourselves has already prepared the path ahead.
Pearl's Prayer
Lord, Thank You for being the God who knew us before we understood ourselves.
When fear, doubt, or hesitation tries to keep us from the life You are calling us to live, remind us that Your grace is not only behind us, it is also leading us forward. Give us courage to step into the purpose You have already seen. Help us trust that the One who formed us will also guide us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
